This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-295296, incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing structure of a weather strip for a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a sealing structure of a weather strip for forming a seal between a door opening portion around an opening in a side body of the motor vehicle and a periphery of a vehicle door.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, weather strips 10 are attached to door opening portions around door openings formed in a side body of a motor vehicle. As shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), which are cross-sectional views taken along lines Axe2x80x94A and Bxe2x80x94B of FIG. 1, the weather strip 10 includes a base portion 14 having a generally U-shaped cross-section, and a tubular seal portion 16 having an arc-shaped sealing wall. The tubular seal portion 16 expands from one side wall of the base portion 14. The base portion 14 is mounted on a flange 18 which is provided in the door opening portion including the center pillar 12 such that the tubular seal portion 16 is located outside the flange 18. When a vehicle door 20a is closed, as shown in FIG. 2(A), in an upper door opening portion, an inside surface of a door frame 22 contacts and presses the seal portion 16, and, as shown in FIG. 2(B), in a lower door opening portion, an inside surface of a periphery of a door panel 24 contacts and presses the seal portion 16.
In these drawings, reference numeral 26 designates a pillar garnish for covering an inside surface of the center pillar 12, and reference numeral 28 designates a door weather strip which is attached to inside surfaces of the door frame 22 and the door panel 24 (a door weather strip attached to the door panel 24 is not shown).
When vehicle doors are closed hard, or when vehicle bodies vibrate for some reason, peripheries of the vehicle doors may abut door opening portions around door openings. For solving this problem, stoppers are generally provided in the vehicle doors. FIG. 3 illustrates one example of such stoppers. As shown, a stopper 30 is composed of a rubber-like resilient material and is provided in a rear lower corner of the door panel 24 of the door 20a (FIG. 1). The stopper 30 is fitted in an aperture 32 formed in an inner panel of the door panel 24.
With this arrangement, the stopper 30 must be prepared separately. A punching work is needed to form the aperture 32 in the door panel 24, and a contact surface 34 for the stopper 30 must be formed in the center pillar 12. Consequently, the production costs increase.
To reduce the production costs, it has been proposed to use weather strips which can serve as stoppers. In one example of such weather strips, the interior of the tubular seal portion thereof is partly filled with a solid rubber material (Publication of Japanese unexamined utility model application No. Sho. 63-82657).
These weather strips, however, cause increase of the forces required for closing vehicle doors. When the vehicle doors are closed hard, they receive large counterforces from these weather strips. Furthermore, weather strips of which tubular seal portions are partly filled with solid rubber materials must be prepared separately from the weather strips which have normally configured tubular seal portions, and these two types of weather strips must be joined to each other.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sealing structure of a weather strip for attachment along a door opening portion of a vehicle body, which is capable of achieving a door stopper function without increasing a door closing force.
With the sealing structure in accordance with the present invention, the weather strip includes a base portion for attachment along a door opening portion around a door opening formed in a vehicle body, and a tubular seal portion having an arc-shaped sealing wall which expands outwardly from a side surface of the base portion so as to be contacted and pressed by a periphery of a vehicle door when the vehicle door is closed. A projection projects from the side surface of the base portion into the tubular seal portion in such a manner as to divide an interior of the tubular seal portion into halves in a width direction thereof. The projection extends in a longitudinal direction of the base portion. A projecting end of the projection faces an inner surface of the sealing wall with spacing. The weather strip and the vehicle door are arranged such that, in a door closed state a periphery of a door panel of the vehicle door contacts and presses about a projecting top of the sealing wall of the tubular seal portion, which faces the projecting end of the projection, and a door frame of the vehicle door contacts and presses a side part of the sealing wall of the tubular seal portion apart from the projecting top of the sealing wall.
With this arrangement, the projection abuts only the door panel through the sealing wall of the tubular seal portion upon closing the vehicle door, and achieves a door stopper function only against the door panel.
When the vehicle door is closed, the door panel receives a counterforce from the projection. However, the weight of the door panel is much greater than that of the door frame. Accordingly, the force required for closing the vehicle door is hardly increased with the counterforce from the projection, and when the vehicle door is closed hard, the vehicle door does not receive a large counterforce from the weather strip.
The sealing structure in accordance with the present invention can be preferably applied to vehicles in which, in a door closed state, the space between the inside surface of the door frame and a facing door opening portion is larger than that between a periphery of the door panel and a facing door opening portion.
Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification.